Adrian Vale had many guesses about System Mission 3.
First, the system would never issue meaningless missions or give meaningless rewards.
Last time, it suddenly gave him a personal ability, Mech Piloting, and this time, it suddenly issued a mission with the reward of upgrading Mech Piloting to A.
This made Adrian very curious.
As a human with off-the-charts intelligence and a highly developed brain, Adrian quickly speculated on hundreds of possibilities.
However, Adrian believed the most likely scenario was that he would encounter a situation in the future that required his mech piloting ability.
But this wasn't what Adrian needed to consider at the moment; he was more curious about the 'Army Commander of the Ochus Empire' mentioned in the system mission.
He remembered that the other party had said there were only ordinary negotiators, but Adrian would never doubt the system. Since the system said it, it was confirmed.
Soon, both parties entered the temporarily constructed space station. Inside, a long table was set up, with six chairs on each side.
After sitting down, Adrian looked at the six Ochus representatives opposite him and quickly pinpointed the one sitting at the head of the table.
It was obvious that he exuded the aura of a superior, which must be Commander Adams, as the system had mentioned.
Sensing Adrian's gaze, Adams looked back with his captivating eyes.
"This person shouldn't be a negotiator, should he?"
Adams looked at Adrian for a few seconds, then smiled and said casually.
"Indeed, he is the fleet commander who escorted me here, not a negotiator. The negotiation will be handled by the five of us; he is merely observing. Your Excellency needn't worry."
Ed Hart, who was also sitting at the head of the table, immediately responded.
However, Ed was a little surprised. The other party was truly perceptive. It seemed the negotiation wouldn't be easy.
"Since you say so, let's proceed! We can begin!"
"Alright, today we will mainly discuss the issue of your empire's Ninth Prince."
"Hmph, just say it. What are your terms?"
"It's simple: your side withdraws from the Solar System. You've already occupied all our extraterrestrial territories; there's no need to wipe us out, is there?"
"That's impossible. If I agree today, I'll be executed by the Imperial Emperor tomorrow. Let's change the terms!"
"Our Federation has only this one condition. If anything happens to the Ninth Prince, I don't think you can bear the consequences, can you?"
"Still the same answer: if the Ninth Prince dies, the Emperor will execute me. But if I agree to withdraw from the Solar System, the Emperor will also execute me. So, it's better for you to propose a more realistic condition, otherwise, there's no point in negotiating."
As expected, it's difficult, Ed thought to himself.
However, observing his expression, he didn't think the other party was lying. But if that was truly the case, then getting them to withdraw from the Solar System was destined to be impossible.
Since death was inevitable, the other party would choose a way to die that preserved their good name. After all, being forced to retreat wasn't a good reputation.
So, where was the breakthrough? Ed couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
"In that case, how about changing the condition to a ten-year ceasefire?"
Just then, Adrian, who was sitting at the end, spoke. Ed and the four people he brought with him turned in surprise to look at Adrian.
"Excuse me, we need to discuss this internally."
"As you wish!"
In this space station, there was a room on each side, specifically designed for such situations.
After giving Adrian a meaningful look, Ed immediately led the way into one of the rooms on their side.
Adrian gave a wry smile, stood up, and followed them in.
"Adrian, I recall saying you were only here to observe!"
"Uncle Ed, I think it's necessary for me to educate you from a military perspective! Otherwise, you'll make a wrong judgment!"
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing Adrian's reply, Ed's initial displeasure slowly turned into curiosity. Had he really overlooked something important?
"Uncle Ed, why do you think we can maintain a temporary standoff with them right now?"
"Because six years ago, Admiral Marcus Sterling dealt them a heavy blow in the asteroid belt, so they won't be willing to have another major battle with us in the asteroid belt until they are confident!"
"Exactly. So, if they agree to withdraw from the Solar System, does the Federation dare to leave the asteroid belt? If not, what's the use of them withdrawing?"
"Uh!"
Adrian's words instantly stunned Ed Hart. Yes, even if the other side withdrew from the Solar System, would we dare to leave the asteroid belt, our natural barrier?
Putting everything else aside, let's just talk about the Federation's only remaining Fourth Fleet.
Once they leave the asteroid belt, if the enemy launches a surprise attack, humanity will have no more forces to fight with.
You must understand, if it weren't for the asteroid belt, asking Admiral Sterling's 20,000 warships to confront their 100,000+ warships would be suicidal, wouldn't it?
In space, where there are no environmental or terrain advantages, both sides compete on the performance of their warships, the commander's formation, bombardment, evasion, and other abilities.
If the abilities of both commanders are similar, then the performance of the warships is the decisive factor. And everyone knows that the Federation's warships are not as advanced as those of the Ochus Empire.
This is why the First to Third Fleets never won a single battle in Proxima, Barnard's Star, and Epsilon Eridani. They couldn't match them in numbers, nor in warship performance, and their commanders weren't more experienced. How could they win?
So, is it truly meaningful to propose that the other side withdraw from the Solar System now?
It's completely meaningless. Not only that, but it would also waste a valuable card in their hand.
"Uncle Ed, you know about the warp drive, right?"
Seeing Ed's expression, it seemed he had understood. Adrian continued to speak.
"I know. Your father certainly didn't hold back from bragging about it in front of me!"
"Uh... so Solomon has that side to him. I really didn't know... Getting off topic. So, what we need right now isn't for them to withdraw from the Solar System, but time."
"Time?"
"That's right. When our warp drives are fully equipped, that's when our counterattack begins. And Uncle Ed should also know about the industrial robots. When we apply them in large quantities, our shipbuilding speed will increase several times over."
"So, what we really need is time?"
"Exactly, time. Nothing else matters!"
"Alright, I understand now. I'm truly impressed with you, kid. A monster in military affairs, a monster in scientific research, and your perspective on things is still monstrous."
"Heh heh, you flatter me, Uncle. Let's go out!"
Soon, the two returned to the negotiating table.
"Apologies, that was rude. Let's continue!"
"Alright, but no more impossible conditions, otherwise it's a waste of time."
"Then let's go with what Adrian just said, changing the condition to a ten-year ceasefire!"
"I can agree to this condition, but when do you plan to return the Ninth Prince?"
"Naturally, he will be returned after the ten-year period."
"Impossible. What if you use the Ninth Prince to threaten us again after ten years?"
"Then what do you suggest, Your Excellency?"
"If you want to return him later, I can at most agree to five years. If you return him now, I can agree to ten years!"
"Returning him now is impossible. What if you don't honor the agreement?"
"Fine, then five years!"
Adrian no longer wanted to listen to the rest of the conversation; it was akin to haggling in a market.
After all, whether it was five years or ten years, it didn't matter to Adrian. What both sides were ultimately vying for was a diplomatic victory.
If the final agreement was for ten years, it would give the impression that Adrian had won the negotiation. But if it was for five years, it would seem like a victory for the Ochus Empire.
According to Adrian's estimation, the final agreement would likely be seven or eight years, with both parties making a concession.
As Adrian expected, the final agreement reached by both parties was seven years.
But just as everyone was about to sign the official agreement, an unexpected event occurred again.